The Hlog

Hlog at the Masters: Friday

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- OK, I briefly have Internet access here after it was completely down at the Masters' media center for nearly all of Thursday.

Brett Wetterich had an early tee time in today's second round. He shared the first-round lead with Justin Rose. He has parred his first six holes today. That's a pace that would be very good to keep. I don't know yet if they watered the greens overnight on the Augusta National course. If they didn't, this thing will play U.S. Open-like. Which is to say, the greens will be way fast. Scores would go higher than the room rates for budget motels in Augusta.

I know a party of five staying in a Motel 6 off an Interstate 20 exit not far from here. The room rate they got was $250 a night. It sounds like literal highway robbery.

On I-20 west of Augusta, billboards advertised $31.99 and $34.95 room rates. They're a cruel tease. Those are the rates for 51 weeks a year. This week, they're five, six, seven times that. Bring your own towels.

Augusta National is located on Washington Road, but it's hermetically sealed from its neighbors. While this place is an ode to nature and golf, Washington Road is a paean to tacky commerce. I pass two Waffle Houses each day on the street as I drive here. For other dining delights, there are Denny's, Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Taco Bell, Sonic, Subway, etc. I've seen two Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. I mean, I've seen two Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers restaurants. I haven't seen any of the actual fingers, thankfully.

The motels include the Scottish Inn, Sunset Inn, America's Best Value Inn (that can't possibly be truth in advertising) and the Masters Inn. The Masters Inn looks just like the Scottish Inn or Sunset Inn or America's Best Value Inn.

There's a Hooters a not-so-long walk from Augusta National's gates. John Daly's merchandise trailer, seen at many PGA Tour events, is on the Hooters grounds. Daly didn't qualify for this year's Masters, but he's been at his trailer to sign autographs, sell his stuff, and be John Daly. Hooters set up a miniature-golf type putting green outdoors. Daly said the Hooters girls have been teaching him how to putt. He finds that quite funny.

I wonder what the old folks with the old money around here think about that. I'm sure Daly couldn't care less.

 

 

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